UC joins international Phase 1 trial testing CAR-T therapy for MS
Innovative treatment trains immune cells to fight malfunctioning cells
CAR-T cell therapy has already revolutionized the treatment of certain cancers, and now researchers are exploring its potential to treat autoimmune diseases such as multiple sclerosis (MS).
Aram Zabeti, MD. Photo/Andrew Higley/UC Marketing + Brand.
The University of Cincinnati Gardner Neuroscience Institute is one of the first U.S. sites participating in an international Phase 1 clinical trial testing CAR-T cell therapy in patients with MS.
MS occurs when the immune system mistakenly attacks the myelin that protects and covers nerve fibers, disrupting the communication between the brain and the rest of the body and leading to a wide range of symptoms.
“CAR-T cell therapy begins by collecting a type of immune cell —T cells — from the patient’s own blood,” said Aram Zabeti, MD, the site's principal investigator, associate professor of neurology at UC’s College of Medicine and director of the Waddell Center for MS. “These cells are then sent to a specialized lab, where they’re genetically modified to recognize and eliminate the malfunctioning immune cells that drive MS. Once engineered, they are infused back into the patient.”
Zabeti, who is a UC Health physician, explained that one of the limitations of current MS therapies is that they mainly target inflammatory cells in the bloodstream and don’t effectively reach the central nervous system, where much of the immune activity in MS occurs.
“Engineered CAR-T cells are designed to find and eliminate those harmful immune cells wherever they are: in the blood, the brain or other tissues,” he said.
“This treatment has the potential to help patients with all forms of MS, whether relapsing or progressive,” Zabeti continued. “We’ve already successfully screened our first patient in the progressive MS group, and we still have a few openings in both cohorts of the trial.”
Impact Lives Here
The University of Cincinnati is leading public urban universities into a new era of innovation and impact. Our faculty, staff and students are saving lives, changing outcomes and bending the future in our city's direction. Next lives here.
For more information on trial eligibility and enrollment for this and other MS trials open at UC, please contact trial coordinator Sara Esmaeli at esmaeisr@ucmail.uc.edu.
Featured photo at top illustrating CAR-T cells attacking a malfunctioning immune cell. Photo/selvanegra/iStock Photo.
Related Stories
CCM welcomes Ben Nicholson as Assistant Professor of Immersive Media and Live Events
June 24, 2026
UC College-Conservatory of Music Dean Pete Jutras has announced the appointment of Benjamin Nicholson as CCM's new Assistant Professor of Immersive Media and Visuals for Live Events. A CCM alumnus (MFA Lighting Design & Technology, 2025), Nicholson's faculty appointment officially begins on Aug. 15, 2026, and he will work with college leadership to develop classes, content and programming in Live and Immersive Media at CCM. Nicholson's position is a joint appointment shared by CCM's Divisions of Media Production and Theatre Arts, Production and Arts Administration, and he will teach classes for both areas of the college.
A leg up in a challenging job market
June 24, 2026
Spectrum interviewed a panel of University of Cincinnati experts and alum for a look into how to stand out in today’s competitive job market. They highlighted UC's cooperative education (co-op) programs and courses that integrate artificial intelligence (AI) competence as key to being ready for the workplace.
Nursing as a second career: Accelerated BSN vs. Direct-Entry MSN
June 23, 2026
Every year, thousands of professionals with degrees in biology, psychology, education, business, and dozens of other fields make the decision to become nurses. They are drawn by purpose, by job security, by a desire to do something that matters. And very quickly, most of them encounter the same fork in the road: Should I pursue an Accelerated Bachelor of Science in Nursing (BSN), or an Accelerated Direct-Entry Master of Science in Nursing (MSN)? It is a deceptively complex question, and the answer depends on factors that most comparison articles overlook. What follows are the questions we hear most, answered plainly.